Venue Showcase: Pennyhill Park

Pennyhill Park is a 19th century Mansion House that is surrounded by lily ponds, landscaped gardens and plenty of greenery whereas the inside of the hotel also provides stunning architecture.

We talked to Jodey Hatch, Wedding Manager at Pennyhill Park to find out more about this stunning venue.

Tell us about yourself!

I have been in the wedding industry for 9 years, pretty much my whole career. I love spending time with friends and family as much as I can, going out for meals, travelling and exploring anything new. I have one gorgeous black cat but if I had my way I would have many more and dogs too!

What drew you to the wedding world?

After leaving school I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do, I thought some customer service experience would be a good start so I got a job waitressing at a hotel which included working at weddings. After a while I began running them operationally and knew I loved them and had to continue this as my career. I finally got a role as a wedding coordinator and it has just snowballed from there.

What do you think makes Pennyhill Park unique?

Pennyhill Park is unique in many ways; however I do feel the people that work here is what stands us out from the crowd. We take time to get to know our couples, we understand this is the biggest day of our couple’s lives and when they spend months or even years planning this they expect the best. We welcome our guests on that first showaround with a glass of bubbles and personalised sweet treats just to get started!

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How do you get to know your couples before the big day?

Every couple is unique, which is one thing that makes me love my job so much! I find it’s important to listen to each couples needs and get to know them as an individual. They then get the chance to build trust with their dedicated event coordinator; this might be done with many visits to our bar over a cup of coffee or even when it comes to meeting the head chef to discuss their menus.

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What do you think makes for the perfect wedding?

For me I think that a wedding that shows the couples personality have been the most perfect. Ultimately this day is about the two of you, so to put on little touches that represent you, are the perfect Weddings. You’re guests will absolutely love this as they are here to share this special day with you.

What is your #1 wedding planning tip for couples?

Try and keep it fun, it’s easy to feel stressed about the planning but this really should be the most enjoyable part! When it’s all over you will want to do it all over again and wish you had enjoyed it more.

What do you love about Bridebook?

It’s a really good tool to help us know what our couples are looking for before they have even come to see us. It’s also a great platform to let couples know about us as a venue and really showcase ourselves.

What’s the most memorable wedding you’ve had at Pennyhill Park?

One bride at Pennyhill Park did trust me with planning a very special surprise for the Groom; it was a group of storm troopers that were going to walk don the aisle! The Groom of course was a massive star wars fan and this was a complete surprise to him and all the guests. Everyone loved it and it was so memorable even all the team here wanted to come out and watch as when do you ever have a wedding with storm troopers walking down the aisle! All the guest were there waiting for photos with them, star wars fans or not it was a great talking point for the guests for the rest of the day.

Why should a couple book Pennyhill Park?

We have something for everyone, if it being fantastic food you are looking for then come meet our Michelin star chef and discuss your menus with our amazing team at the Latymer restaurant. If its luxury accommodation we have 124 individually designed bedrooms that will give all your guests that wow factor. Not to mention our stunning 120 acres of Parkland with ample photo opportunities for our couples to remember and look back on for years to come.

What’s the best photo spot at Pennyhill Park?

This is hard as there are so many good ones! But I have to say our secret garden is just wonderful photo opportunity for our couples. With its a running waterfall and wild flowers surrounding, it makes it feel like a bit of fairytale, which I think is what most couples are looking for on their big day.

What part of your business are you most proud of?

Another tough one, but we have an amazing team here who all strive on wanting the same thing of creating happiness in an amazing place. I honestly feel this is what our couples comment on most after their wedding day is how well they felt looked after, from the very first step through the door by our reception team, to meeting the chef at their menu tasting and to the fantastic team who personally look after their big day for them.

How do you feel technology is changing the industry?

I think the last 18 months have defiantly taught us a lot, opening us up to Zoom show rounds in times when we couldn’t see each other in person has been so beneficial for businesses and couples. It meant that wedding planning could still go ahead; giving couples something to look forward too. I do find mainly we all much prefer to see each other in person, but this has given us the chance to even plan a few destination weddings now we are all up to speed with different technology tools available to us.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to couples that are currently struggling amidst the COVID-19 crisis?

Keep going, I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for couples but just keep planning. Keep in touch with your suppliers so they know your concerns so they know how to help you.